Sesame Street To Follow The Muppets On Into The Movies

'The Muppets' movie was one of the most pleasant surprises of last year, with a charming comedy winning over new fans for the furry puppets, and now it seems that their close cousins the inhabitants of Sesame Street are set to join them on film, as Fox have bought the rights to the much loved characters.

Characters like Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Elmo, The Count and The Cookie Monster have entertained and educated children in the TV series for decades in the same way as The Muppets charmed the world of light entertainment.

The characters in Sesame Street are Muppets, but have always catered for a younger audience than the slightly more risque antics of Kermit, Miss Piggy and company. Stars like Katy Perry, David Beckham and Ricky Gervais have appeared on the show, where Perry was criticised for her revealing clothing, yet she would surely be a popular choice to appear in the film, after famously wearing an 'Elmo' top.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy is will be involved with their cinematic outing,

There's also a slightly darker side to the splitting up of the Sesame Street chums from their Muppet contemporaries, as Disney own the rights to The Muppets but not the Sesame Street characters, meaning that none could appear in the recent Muppet movie, which won an Oscar for best song for 'Man Or Muppet'.

Fox will hope that any Sesame Street film benefits from the success of The Muppets, but in order to remain true to the show's spirit, the movie will have to have an educational element.